Rotary engine construction



G. A. REYNOLDS ROTARY ENGINE CONSTRUCTION Filed May 26, 1930 Jan. 5, 1932.

Patented Jan. 5, 1932 errer;

GEORGE A. REYNULDS,`F LOS ANGELES, CLFGRNEA ROTARY ENGINE CONSTRUCTIQ-l Application led MayG, 195:0.

Considerable diiliculty has been experi-l enced in lubricating the cylinder walls of engines of the above stated character due to centrifugal force throwing the lubricant to one side of the cylinders.

The object of the present invention is to provide a lubricating system for engines of the character described which is adapted to discharge a quantity of lubricant upon the cylindrical walls in such a manner that it will be evenly distributed thereover during operation of the engine.

@ther objects and advantages will be lapparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying draw,- ings, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view taken through an engine showing the improved lubricating system; l

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional viewtaken through one of the cylinders and a portion of the spider showing more in detail operating parts of the improved lubricating system In the accompanying drawings the engine is of exactly the same construction as illustrated in my prior patent above mentioned and will therefore be described briefly Referring by numerals to the drawings, 8 indicates vthe frame of the motor which is mounted on and secured to a hollow shaft l rotatably mounted in antifriction bearings ll and 12 disposed in suitable housings 14 and 15 respectively A plurality of cylinders 18 aresecured to the housing and are provided with pistons 20 and rods 22, the outer ends of which are proi vided with hollow balls 24 engaging bear-y ings 25 disposed in sockets 26 formed in a spider 27 .l

Spider 27 is rotatably mounted onV antifriction bearings 28 positioned in a'hub 29 formed thereon, the inner races or cones of Serial Eo. 455,549.

which encircle the offset or diagonally disposed portion BO of a member 32, said niember having a portion 33 concentric with the shaft l0 and extending into the bearing housin i4 wherein it is held against rotation by 55 any suitable means, not shown.

Fuel is admitted to the engine through .a suitable fitting 34wliich communicates with the interior of the member 32 fromwhere it enters the interior of the Lshaft through ports 35, thence through ports 36 into conduits 37 to a valve housing `38 having seats formed` therein engaged by the intake and kexhaust valves 89 and 40 respectively, the

intake and exhaust valves having stems actuated by rocker armsk 42, the inner kends of which enter groovesformed in a cam 44.

rlhek novel feature of this invention resides in the improved lubricating rsystem arranged as follows:

`Lubricating oil is fed into an annular-recess 46 formed in the hub 29 ythrough a duct or passageway 47 formed in the member 32, the lubricant being introduced into the duct through a pipe 48 leading from a circulating pump designated at 50.

Lubricant in the recess 46 is conveyed to the cylinder walls and balls formed on the piston rodsthrough 'a plurality of ducts formed inthe arms of the spider'as fol-lows: Duets 52co1nmunicate with the recess `and cross ducts 53 disposed at substantially rightangles thereto in which are mounted plungers 54. l 1- i Plungers 54 serve to force the oil through ducts 55 and 56 in' a manner hereinafter described, said plungers vbeing urged outwardly by expansion coil springs 57, the inner ends of Ywhich are securedgto walls of the' spider arms, and the outer ends thereof to washers 58 engagedby set collars or the like 59. y

l'She ducts 55 communicate with ducts 60 which are in alignment with du cts 6l formed inthe bearings 2,5, the latter ducts being brought into and out of register with ports 62 formed Vin the balls 24 anda plurality of apertures 63 are formed in the tubular piston rods through which lubricant will be discharged onto the piston walls.

` Due to thespider rotating about an oblique axis, it will be seen that each of the plungers 54 will be reciprocated in the ducts 53 by their engagement with inner walls 64 of the housing during each revolution. When out of engagement as indicated at 65 in Fig. l, lubricant will enter the ducts 52 and 53 from the recess 46, thence into the ball and piston rod from where it is distributed onto thecylinder walls through the apertures 62, it being understood that the ducts GO and 6l are then in alignment. Y

Vhen the plunger is moved inwardly by engagement with the wall 6% as shown in F ig. 2, the oil entrapped in the duct 53 in front of the plunger will be transferred into the duct 55 at which time an equal amount will be discharged from the duct 56 onto the inner side of the cylinder walls, the ducts 60 and'l then being out of register. l a

F rom the foregoing it will be seen that the lubricant is equally distributed over the cylinder walls. By setting the cylinder in a slightly angular position the excess lubricant will be carried outwardly therefrom into the housing. A plurality of apertures are formed in the housing through which the lubricant is discharged by centrifugal force into an annular trough 72 wherein it collects and isconveyed through a conduit 74:' to the circulating pump 50.

I claim:

1. ln a rotary gas engine including a shaft, a frame secured to said shaft, a plurality of cylinders Vcarried by said frame rotatable about the axis of said shaft, a piston in each cylinder, a spider rotatable on an axis at an angle to the shaft, rods carried' by said pistons and having balls formed on the outer ends engaging sockets formed in said spider, each arm of said spider having a radially disposed duct formed therein communicating with an annular recess formed in the center of therspider, a second duct inY offset relation to the first duct communicating with the exterior and. disposed i-n such a position that lubricant discharged therefrom will impinge upon the inner portion of the cylinder walls, and a third duct crossing said first and second ducts, plungers Vmounted in said third ducts with portions thereof projecting therefrom, and springs engaging said plungers, said springs normally urging said plungersoutwardly so that lubricant introduced into the annular recess may pass therefrom through each of the ducts formed in the spider, said plungers being moved inwardly during each revolution of the spider by engagement of their end faces with the wall 0f said frame, inward movement of the plungers closing the first ducts and cutting off passage'ofthe lubricant from the recess therethrough then expelling a portion of the lubricant in the second ducts against the cylinder walls.

2. ln a rotary gasengine including ashaft, a frame secured to `said shaft, a plurality. of

cylinders carried by said frame rotatable about the axis of said shaft, a spider rotatable on an axis at an angle to the shaft, said spider having a pair of radially disposed Vducts formed therein in offset relation, one of said ducts communicating with an annular recess formed in the center of the spider, the other of said ducts terminating in the outer ends of the arms and disposed therein in such a position that lubricant discharged therefrom will impinge upon the inner portion of the cylinder walls, a plunger mounted in a duct crossing said pair of ducts and a spring GEORGE A. REYNOLDS. 

